[Hyacinth Bucket]

Scales - I am referring to a travel scale. This little scale can save you time, grief and money. On a cruise, at this time, you are not limited by X number of pounds to have your luggage brought to your room.

When you fly it is a different story. To make sure our luggage isn't over weight we weigh each bag after we pack them. Then the next process can take time. We take things out of one bag and put it into another. We continue this ritual until our bags weigh 50 pounds each.

With all the left over items - I put them in my purse. They have never weighed my purse but roller boards that you bring onto the plane they have weighed. On NWA the weight limit for a carry on bag has dropped to 30 pounds.

My pocketbook, which like I said has never been weighed, has been 35 plus pounds. I hope they do not decide to start weighing pocketbooks. I will then have to go to Plan B.

This luggage scale cost about $12 and has saved me over $12.

HB

[784caroline]

HB
Weighing your baggage before you depart on any trip is now a requirement. I donot have a luggage scale, i simply use a bathroom scale and I get the same end result although I need to improvise some!

I just wonder when the airlines will start weighing people including all carry-ons. Now they use simply an average estimate and for humans that has always worked in the past but more and more people will start loading up their carry-ons to avoid the 50 pounds limitation for checkins. Before the airlines did not want to offend people (with weigh ins)but in todays envirmonment, I say be prepared for anything. I mean weight is definitely a cost factor in flying.

Do you think it wil happen any time soon :dontknow: ?

[Hyacinth Bucket]

Hi 784,

We used to use the bathroom scale until I bought the luggage scale. I find it much easier to use.

The airlines have started to weigh carry-ons. I have seen them do it numerous times and just the other day they weighed mine. NWA lowered the weight limit on carry-on bags to 30 pounds. My carry on weighed 31.5 pounds and they let it go through.

I hope they NEVER and I mean NEVER weigh people. I will post your question on one of the professional organizations I belong to and will let you know if anyone has more information than I do.

If you are an elite member of an airline the weight of your check in luggage is usually higher than for the rest of the public. This is given as a perk for loyalty to the airline.

Enjoy the day.

HB

[njgranny]

When my daughter and I flew to Texas for a cruise, two of the flight legs were in small planes. Before we took off, they went around and had people move to different seats to balance the weight. That was bad enough. If they start weighing individuals, it will be yuck!!!!!!!!!

[Sidney Lanier]

Yes indeed, the weight on an airplane has to be evenly distributed. On a large plane it's less an issue regarding individual passengers because of the weight of the plane; however, on a small plane they do indeed move people around before takeoff if the plane isn't filled. We live in a rural area in NY when we're not at TV and use a six-gate airport, hence primarily small planes (even though this small airport is an alternate landing site for the space shuttle AND it's where the hostages landed in the U.S. after the Iran hostage crisis that ended in January 1981). We frequently have airline personnel move passengers around to better balance these small planes. And--think about it--just by our sitting in our seats they know our weights in order to know whom to move where....

A columnist writing for our local weekly some years ago wrote the story of her short local flight (NH --> NY) on a very small plane on which she was the only passenger. She sat stock still in her seat in the middle of the plane, hands gripping the arm rests, white knuckled, afraid not only to get up to use the washroom but, as she amusingly wrote, even to lean from side to side. An exaggeration, of course, but....

[Halle]

Sidney and HB thought you might enjoy this since you are frequent travelers.

I have to fly on small airplanes when I work in the Alaska Bush communities. They ask your weight when you are checking in for the flight. As Sidney stated they are required to do this for the weight and balance of the plane. As I was checking in for a flight they asked the gentlemen at the counter next to me his weight. He was a very large man, he stated that he weighed about 250lbs. I looked at the agent checking me in for the flight, she had the same look of surprise and disbelief on her face as I'm sure I did. I glanced at the man in question and quietly said please add 100lbs to my weight. This is the one time I'm willing to lie and say I weigh more than I actually do, my life literally may depend on it. I was more than willing to compensate for my fellow passenger. So just remember some things are more important than an embarrassing moment.

Rollie Polly Halle